Further airport boundary/edge marker improvements

ABSTRACT

A boundary/edge recognition system for on ground vehicular traffic, especially airport runways and taxiways that uses multiple markers, each marker including an elongated tube with a light source in or near the tube for illuminating one or more slits or a plurality of apertures in the tube. Preferred embodiments include spring mounts and/or means for indicating misalignment. Additional options include a defroster/heater and/or bird roost prevention means.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation-in-part of application Ser. No.12/660,060, filed on Feb. 20, 2010 and issuing as U.S. Pat. No.8,454,189, which application claimed the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication Ser. No. 61/208,551, filed on Feb. 25, 2009, bothdisclosures of which are incorporated by reference herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention is intended to improve safety for ground vehicle trafficabout industrial plants and warehouses, and for outdoor venues likeairport runways and taxiways. This invention especially improves thesituational awareness and orientation of pilots while navigating aboutthe grounds of an airport before takeoffs and after landings.

2. Relevant Art

Situational awareness of pilots about an airport has been identified asa main contributor to runway incursions around the world. Experts haveprioritized runway incursions as a top area of weakness in aviationsafety. Improving the ability of pilots to quickly recognize safe runwayexit locations at runway/taxiway intersections, and to better recognizethe runway/taxiway intersections they are approaching will reduce thenumber of incidents, accidents, incursions, and excursions that occureach year. Due to the existing arrangement of runway/taxiway lights,visual orientation is especially difficult at night and during periodsof reduced visibility due to precipitation and fog. Unfortunately, snowaccumulations obscure visually painted pavement indicators.

Since the early days of aviation, devices have been developed forassisting pilots in navigating and recognizing their environment. Untilthis invention, such devices have consisted of single points of lightarranged about an airport, some with lenses for light focusing forgreater visibility to an approaching aircraft. In basic terms, theseexisting visual cues exist as nodes of light. Light nodes can becomeconfusing at night, however, or during reduced visibility periods orwhen approaching the light from an angle out of alignment with therunway or taxiway they are illuminating. At larger airports, theselights may appear as a “sea” of random lights which may not provideadequate visual cues for pilots to easily navigate thereabout.

Recent systems have been designed for reducing lighting costs usingtechnologies that consume less energy. Systems have been engineered toallow the recessing of lights to be flush with the runways and taxiwaysthereby reducing the risk of damage to same. Systems have also beeninstalled to act as conventional stop lights, i.e., electronicallycontrolled, visual signal indicators for serving as a “back up” toerrant air traffic controller instructions and/or pilots and groundpersonnel who may accidentally cross a runway while another aircraft istaking off or landing. All of these systems improve travel safety whiledeploying the conventional technology of single light nodes, sometimesin varying colors, or with continuous illumination, pulsating and/orpreset flash sequences.

Single nodes of light offer a good foundation for situational awareness.But such devices are not completely adequate. Recent research has takenplace with regard to video displays, i.e. the visual cues used by thehuman eye, and the way our eyes behave to transmit sight information tothe brain. From that research, it has been shown that short sequences ofdiscontinuous lines allow the brain to more efficiently interpolate linesequences and create a more complete picture. Such line segmentinterpolating allows the brain to identify patterns by mapping out linesegments in several directions. Similar technologies have been used forreducing the amount of information being displayed on a video monitorwhile still enhancing the picture that viewer perceives. However, thenumber, size and length of these line segments, created by pixels, varygreatly from the segments of light employed by the present invention.

Many of today's current airport runways employ a lighting system thatuses runway and taxiway edge lights like those shown in accompanyingFIG. 1—Prior Art. Such lights, or traditional omni-directional luminaire10, are commonly affixed to a vertical spar 20 which, in turn, connectsto a round base plate 30. That base plate 30 typically attaches to theairport runway surface with 4 to 6 bolts (not shown) on a 10.25 inchbolt circle. From the center of base plate 30, vertical spar 20 extendsupward and houses electrical wires (not shown) for supplying power tothe luminaire/light source 50 sitting atop vertical spar 20. Below baseplate 30, there is usually a transformer (not shown) at least partiallyencased in the ground and connected to wires for completing theelectrical circuit for each luminaire.

In the airport lighting industry, the preceding model luminaire is knownas an L-867 or “base” when it has no light atop, an L-861T for theelevated taxiway light model and an L-861E for the elevated runway lightmodel. A light diffuser can be attached to the illumination source withone or more clamps or other quick disconnect means. That light diffuserprotects the illumination source from external elements while alsofocusing the light emanating from same. The diffuser may be colored tohelp pilots better distinguish a runway light from its taxiway orobstruction light equivalents. A main advantage of the present inventionis that it can be retrofitted to fit partially over or about an existingdiffuser unit, fit fully over same, or fully replace the lens/singlebulb of a known airport diffuser unit with the radially armed indiciadescribed below.

Other known prior art devices in this field include the following(arranged in chronological order): Hansler et al. U.S. Pat. No.7,083,315, with their elevated runway and taxiway edge lighting systemthat employs light emitting diodes. Rhodes U.S. Pat. No. 6,354,714 morebroadly covers LED lighting systems for embedding to improve thevisibility of airport runways, walkways and roadways. These sameembedded LED's can also be used for floor marking Rizkin et al. U.S.Pat. No. 6,155,703 shows a surface-mounted light assembly forilluminating the outer boundaries of a ship deck or heliport. Using aprism with three flat sides, Barrow U.S. Pat. No. 5,669,691 shows anin-pavement light fixture for airport runways and taxiways. A systemwith a series of reflective mirrors is used by the runway embedded,light emitter of Ahlen U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,495. The flush runway lightsystem of Pannier U.S. Pat. No. 4,924,364 employed a removable opticalunit.

Puttemanns et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,836 showed an elevated runway,taxiway or threshold edge light beneath a sealed glass dome. That sameyear, Tauber et al. patented their own airport runway, taxiway or edgelight in U.S. Pat. No. 4,499,527. Finally, the runway lighting system ofDaley U.S. Pat. No. 3,567,917 is known for employing flexible,light-conveying conduits. Despite the foregoing, improvements to thisspecialized field of transportation illumination are still an utmostgoal as spelled out in Transportation Safety Improvements, AviationIssue Areas, Most Wanted. See,www.ntsb.gov/recs/mostwanted/aviation_issues.htm#most.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention overcomes the limitations of single node prior artdevices described above. A principle object of this invention, inaccordance with one embodiment, consists of a system of rod-like lightpatterns, each rod replacing, supplementing and/or enhancing the singlenode light atop a traditional airport light base. Utilizing a pluralityof radial arms (either self-lighting, reflective or both), thisinvention creates illuminated line segments collinear with the airportrunway or taxiway boundaries/edges they represent.

Retrofitting the known lighting systems of L-867, L-861T and/or L-861E(FIG. 1—Prior Art) allows lighted rods to better orient horizontally,extending in the same direction as the airport pavement edge. The lengthand spacing of each rod can be adjusted to maximize the ability of thehuman eye to interpolate illuminated line segments from a distancethereby better identifying the pattern and/or delineation of airportpavement edges. The color of each rod may be specially chosen based onan accepted code representing each boundary. For example, blue rod conesmay be used along taxiway pavement edges and white along segments ofrunway pavement edges. It is also possible to use multiple cone colorson the same lighting unit for greater directional guidance.

The rods employed by this invention may be suspended in acounterbalanced manner, extending as either: plural radial arms (perFIG. 2); multiple rods extending in different directions for identifyinga runway/taxiway intersection (per FIG. 3); or spanning between two ormore posts (per FIG. 4). In some cases, the rod mounted about, above orbelow a traditional base model allows omni-directional viewing of thetraditional luminaire, while providing enhanced edge line guidance overthe same base model without the invention added thereto (per FIG. 5).

When counterbalanced above a single mount, a pivot point allows thelighted rod(s) of this invention to be rotated for maintenance access.The intensity from said illumination sources can be made adjustableusing existing, conventional methods.

Each lighted rod installed according to this invention would appear topilots and other airport personnel as a line segment, hereinafter“indicium”. The combination of indicia in an array of airportrunway/taxiway lights creates a more accurate representation (or bettersimulation) of all lighted pavement edges per accompanying FIG. 8B. Whenused with existing airport pavement lights, signs, and other visualcues, pilot orientation is enhanced and overall travel safety improved.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features, objectives and advantages of the present inventionwill become clearer when referring to the following detailed descriptionof preferred embodiments made with reference to the accompanyingdrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a prior art airport runway ortaxiway light fixture;

FIG. 2 is a front perspective view of a first embodiment of illuminatedmarker or indicium being used as a boundary edge;

FIG. 3 is a top right perspective view of a second embodiment ofindicium used at a pavement/boundary intersection;

FIG. 4 is a top front perspective view of a third embodiment of indiciumfor an alternative pavement/boundary intersection marker;

FIG. 5 is a front perspective, sectional view of a fourth embodiment ofindicium for identifying a pavement edge;

FIG. 6 is a top perspective, solid view of a fifth embodiment ofindicium for an alternative pavement edge marker;

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of multiple indicia according to thisinvention being used to outline a pathway for on ground airport traffic;

FIGS. 8A and B are top and bottom comparisons showing two sets ofmultiple airport lights as used before the invention (FIG. 8A) and withindicia of this invention installed there on (FIG. 8B)

FIG. 9 is a front plan view of a sixth embodiment showing an elongatedtube with lighted slots along both horizontal tube sections, dualvertical supports at both tube ends and one version of bird roostprevention;

FIGS. 10A and B are front plan and perspective views, respectively, of aseventh embodiment showing a horizontal tube with a plurality of lightedapertures and a focused beam lens at opposed tube ends; and

FIG. 11 is a front plan view showing an alternate, spring mount at bothtube ends; it also shows one version of defroster/heater elementextending across the top surface of same.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

It should be noted that common features in the different views of thisinvention are shown with the same reference numeral(s). For alternateembodiments of the same component, there is consistent numbering thoughin the next hundred series.

Referring to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 showsan indicium, generally 110, said indicium including a plurality ofradial arms 115, which may be flexible or rigid. In either case, arms115 are mounted to a central support or vertical spar 120 extendingupwardly from a traditional light base plate 130 similar to the baseplate for prior art model L-867 described above (at FIG. 1). Theluminaire/light source 150 sitting atop vertical spar 120 allows aproperly sized and shaped indicium 110 (either straight or curved), toserve as a visual cue/marker/signal or indicator relating to the airportpavement boundary/edge 125 it represents. Per FIG. 2, indicium 110 has agenerally straight configuration when viewed from the top. It is to beunderstood, however, that if intended to show a pavement edge orboundary 125 that may be somewhat curved, indicium 110 may itself takeon an overall curved shape or profile.

As shown in FIG. 2, each radial arm 115 of indicium 110 is constructedas a static object resembling a tube, pipe, baton, channel, conduit,duct, hose or other light conducting media. These radial arms 115 aresuspended from opposed sides, or in a counterbalanced manner, moreparticularly as left arm 115L and right arm 115R. The combination ofarms 115 aligns collinearly with the pavement edge 125 that thisparticular indicium 110 is designed to protect. It is understood,however, that with the present invention, it is possible for indicium tohave two or more radial arms from other than opposite sides forindicating/protecting airport runway/taxiway intersections and the like.

Radial arm 115, as an object, may be constructed as a solid translucent,light conducting material or hollow body, closed at both ends andfitting over the top half to domed illumination source 150 of anexisting runway/taxiway marker. An alternative embodiment of thisinvention would also allow for full coverage of the radial arm unitscompletely over an existing marker's illumination source. On a preferredbasis, the radial arms 115 of this invention are fitted with their owninternal illumination source (not shown), said source including internallight manipulating elements like mirrors and/or lenses for creating anoptimum homogenous distribution of light distribution from within thebody of radial arm 115.

Representative internal illumination sources for radial arms 115 mayinclude one or more self-illuminating sub-elements such as anincandescent filament, laser, optical fiber bundle, LED, filament ofionized gas, fluorescence and/or stimulated emission of radiation. It ispreferred that any such light source 150 illuminate the entire length ofeach radial arm 115. Such lights may be white light or pigmented, arepresentative example of which would be a plurality of blue colored LEDlights.

One or more pigments may be added to the translucent material used formaking radial arm 115 so that when said arm 115 covers an existingillumination source 150 or has its own self-illuminating unit inside,the resulting indicia color matches an approved code or other desiredresult. Alternately, each sub branch to radial arm 115 may bedifferently tinted for the same indicium 110 to provide greater levelsof boundary information to pilots and other airport personnel.

Indicium 110 can be affixed with a clamp (not shown) for sealing same tothe vertical spar 120 thus protecting the internal electrical connectionas it transitions from base plate 130 to illumination source 150. PerFIG. 2, the longitudinal axis of indicium 110 is oriented parallel ortangent to the boundary/edge 125 it is protecting. A pivot actionconnector with a keyed flute, indexing dial or detent, aids inrealignment of indicium 110 with the intended boundary edge 125 aftermaintenance is performed. A precise pivot point 178 about the y-axis iscollocated with clamp (not shown) or another quick disconnect devicenearest the top of vertical spar 120.

Like the model at FIG. 1—Prior Art, the vertical spar 120 of indicium110 connects to its base plate 130 via an adapter 180. In a typicalinstallation, there would be a transformer (not shown) below base plate130, encased in the ground and connected to electric wires. Like earliercounterparts, the intensity of illumination source 150 within indicium110 may be made adjustable by conventional methods. And though notshown, it is understood that any embodiments of this invention may befitted with spiked regions and/or other physical deterrents forpreventing birds from roosting on same.

In the operation of this first embodiment, indicium 110 iscounterbalanced over a single mount, via pivot point 178 and about aseal (not shown). Such mounting allows indicium 110 to be rotated formaintenance servicing purposes, snow removal and/or lawn maintenanceabout the spar 120 and base plate 130. Arrow A, in FIG. 2, shows onedirection of rotation for that particular indicium 110.

As seen in accompanying FIGS. 7 and 8B, the normal position for indicium110 is aligned with the pavement edge 125 it is meant to represent.Preferably, the spacing between adjacent indicia 110-2, 110-3 decreasesas the ratio of change in the angle of a tangent moving over a given arcto the length of that arc increases. And the overall length of indicia110-2, 110-3 may decrease as the spacing between adjacent spars (orlighting units) decreases.

When viewed from a distance of several meters, indicia 110 will mark theimmediate termination of a boundary. From a greater distance, the shortsequencing of discontinuous lines allows the brain to efficientlyinterpolate line sequences (i.e. filling in the dashed lines) therebycreating a more complete, linearly connected outline. The combination oflight fixtures so described creates an accurate representation of allpavement edges 125. See, especially, the differences in lighting unitsbefore and after installation according to this invention in the top andbottom, comparative side views of several consecutive lighting units atFIGS. 8A and B. When used with existing pavement signs, and other visualcues, individual pilot awareness will be enhanced and overall safetyorientation improved.

Another benefit from the designs of this invention is that any heatproduced by illumination source 150 of indicium 110 will suffice inpreventing snow and ice from accumulating thereon. For airports thatexperience substantially greater, extreme snowfall situations, asupplemental controlled internal heat source may be added.

In FIG. 3, there is shown a second embodiment of indicium 210 having aplurality of radial arms 215, or in this case, three arms 215A, 215B and215C. Said radial arms 215 can be made flexible or rigid, but, in anyevent, the joined/combined arms all mount to their respective verticalspars 220A, 220B and 220C, each of which rises from their respective,centrally located, traditional base plates 230A, 230B and 230C. Andwhile the individual arms 215 of FIG. 3 are shown substantially straightin a side (or top) profile, it is understood that other embodiments ofairport runway and taxiway lighting may enable the used of curved orwavy alternatives.

Radial arms 215A, 215B and 215C of FIG. 3, are duly sized and shaped,(either in a straight or somewhat curved configuration), to providepilots and other airport personnel with a visual cue/indicator/signalrelating to the pavement edge or boundary 225 they represent. For thisparticular embodiment, edge/boundary 225 is more of an intersection orcrossroad on the airport runway/taxiway. Radial arms 215A, 215B and 215Care each constructed from a static object tube, pipe, baton, channel,conduit, duct, hose or other light conducting media, and allinterconnected at one common, centrally situated end.

In this first intersection alternative, each radial arm 215 includes itsown internal, self-illumination source 250 which may or may not includeinternal light manipulating mirrors and/or lenses (not shown) forcreating an optimum homogenous light distribution inside indicium 210.That self-illuminating light for illumination source 250 may be selectedfrom the group consisting of: an incandescent filament, laser, opticalfiber bundle, LED, a filament of ionized gas, fluorescence, stimulatedemission of radiation or combinations thereof.

In this second overall alternative, each internal terminal end to radialarm 215A, 215B and 215C appears to be permanently attached. But such anattachment would preclude using a common pivot for maintenance access.Alternately, a common pivot action point 278 (with a keyed flute,indexing dial or detent) may be provided. That pivot point 278 wouldassist maintenance personnel with properly realigning indicium 210 aftermaintenance has been performed. Even though the attachment point forthis embodiment would not be permanent, the rotation of one radial arm215 can be made possible without conflicting with the structure ofadjacent radial arms.

Yet another alternative marker to the embodiment of FIG. 3 is shown inaccompanying FIG. 4. Therein, alternate indicium 310 is constructed oftwo or more radial arms 315, (either flexible or rigid), each of whichconnects to its own vertical spar 320 rising up from its own base plate330. Unlike the separate, tubular radial arm configuration in precedingFIG. 3, however, these alternative radial arms 315 appear to besuspended by, span between and at least partially cover or cap overadjacent luminary posts from pre-existing airport runway/taxiway markerunits.

In FIG. 4, a light illumination source 350 enclosed within shouldproperly illuminate the entire length of its radial arm 315. Only thencan indicium 310 serve as part of a system of illuminated indicators forallowing the human brain to efficiently interpolate line sequences(between adjacent indicium) and thus create a more complete, visual“picture” of a runway/taxiway boundary.

A fourth embodiment of indicium 410 depicted in FIG. 5 has its own setof radial arms 415, both of which are suspended and counterbalanced overa shared vertical spar 420 that rises up from its own base plate 430.Altogether, the radial arms 415 of this indicium 410 will aligncollinearly with the pavement edge 425 they are assigned to protect. Inthis variation, separately illuminating radial arms 415 will be mountedeminently about, above or below, for including traditional luminairewith existing, FAA approved, airport lighting systems for greater pilotvision-enhancements. When such radial arms 415 are situated and clampedinto place, they will promote greater omni-directional viewing of thatluminaire from a distance. Viewed from a distance of several meters,indicium 410 marks the immediate termination of its boundary/edge 425.But when viewed from greater distances, a plurality of such indicia 410allow the human brain to interpolate sequences of discontinuous linesegments thereby creating a more accurate representation of pavementedges/boundaries for a region of airport traffic similar to that seen inaccompanying FIG. 8B.

The fifth embodiment, at FIG. 6, shows an indicium 510 having a rigid,elongated reflector 518 attached to opposed sides of vertical spar 520that rises up from base plate 530. Each reflector 518 is constructed asa solid, light-reflecting media that would be illuminated by an externallight source. Like earlier illuminated radial arm counterparts, the sizeand shape of reflectors 518 will provide a visual cue to pilots thatbetter simulates the airport pavement boundary/edge 525 it is designedto protect. With the mounting of reflective, horizontally extendingsurfaces to a traditional luminaire, by retrofit or by integralinclusion with the manufacture of new luminaire, there will be greaterpilot vision-enhancements. In the latter operation, each indicium 510would be affixed with reflective “wings” using one or more clamps (notshown). Alternately, models of indicia may be made with integrallyformed, permanently mounted reflectors.

Preferably, there is provided a pivot point 578 about each vertical spar520 that allows the reflectors 518 to be rotated out of harm's way formaintenance purposes, snow removal, and/or lawn maintenance. A mainsource for illuminating the reflectors 518 of indicia 510 can be thelight from an approaching vehicle, illumination from adjacent lightsand/or reflection from the sun's electromagnetic radiation. And likeearlier, self-illuminating counterparts, it is preferred that thespacing of reflector-based indicia 510 be decreased as the ratio of thechange in the angle of a tangent that moves over a given arc to thelength of the arc increases. In addition, the length of each reflectorarm may be incrementally decreased as the spacing between adjacentindicia 510 decreases. And while the minimal surface area atop eachreflector 518 may be sufficient for preventing snow and iceaccumulations thereon under most conditions, in higher snow markets, theindicium 510 may have a supplemental heater component added thereto.

Referring now to FIG. 8B, when the devices of this invention are viewedfrom a distance of several meters, the indicia 110 mark the immediatetermination of airport pavement boundary 125. When viewed from a greaterdistance, a plurality of indicia 110 allows the brain to interpolate thesequences of discontinuous line segments from all indicia, or “connectthe dashes” thereby creating a more accurate representation of theactual, official border to all pavement edges in sight. When used inconjunction with existing in-pavement lights, signs, and other existingvisual cues; orientation is enhanced, hence safety is improved.

In FIG. 9, yet another embodiment of indicium 610 is shown comprising anelongated tube 615 that serves as a left and right radial arm componentthat extends below the main (possibly pre-existing in the case ofretrofitted applications) illumination source 650. Extending along mostof the lateral length of each radial tube arm 615 is an elongated slit617L and 617R through which a light source emits a continuousillumination. Though not seen in the current (black and white only)drawings, one preferred version of this embodiment emits bright bluelight from a plurality of blue LED bulbs within the body of tube 615.Alternately, a light source external to but immediately adjacent tube615 (not shown in FIG. 9) could use fiber optic lines with varioustermination points for distributing their light TO the tube itself andemulating an emission of marker indicating light as if coming from thetube body proper.

FIG. 9 shows an alternate mounting means as well, one in which a singlesupport 620 to base 630 is fitted with a spring component 625 forenabling each such unit to take some degree of jostling before becominginoperably dislodged.

In addition to the foregoing lighted slit variation, FIG. 9 depicts anoptional bird roost prevention means. That deterrent 660 would consistof a strip of pointy plastic tips, extending in various directions froma top surface of tube 615 for “discouraging” any birds from resting onthese markers in any perch-like manner.

FIGS. 10A and B show a seventh variation of indicium 710 in which thetwo radial arms 715L and R beneath main illumination source 750 includea plurality of apertures 717A rather than one long, horizontallyextending slit. In addition, this version includes a focused lens 720,at each tube end as shown. That lens 720 takes beams of light from thelight source within the tube proper for better focusing illuminationsignals to ground traffic (including aircraft pilots who have landedtheir craft) under less than ideal visual conditions. Particularly, withthe emission of focused light beams from these lenses 720, it is morelikely for the illumination sources to emit usable marker boundary/edgeindicia under foggy conditions and/or the atmospheric reflectiveanomalies of a snow, sleet or rainstorm.

Finally, FIG. 11 shows an eighth variation in which the mainboundary/edge indicium consists of a single elongated tube 815 . . .without any central (pre-existing) illumination source. There is no“850” equivalent. Rather, a single bar of lighted apertures 817A extendbetween a pair of vertical spar supports 820L and R, extendingdownwardly to their respective bases 830L and R. This variation mayfurther include an element designed to prevent snow or ice fromrendering each unit inoperable or less effective. As drawn, that isindicated by a defroster/heater bar 875 across most of the way acrossthe top of tube 815.

In many of the foregoing, it is preferred that the internal mechanics ofeach unit provide some visual indication that that unit is no longerproperly aligned for its intended purpose. Such misalignment could becaused by stiff winds, or more mechanical interruptions, like anaccidental bumping by airport mowing/snow removal equipment or otherland traffic. One such visual indicator is to merely stop illuminatingfrom the main body of that misaligned unit. An alternate version mightinclude activating a different colored sensor/indicator (possibly withan audio signal/sound alarm) for getting the attention of groundpersonnel to correct any such light misalignments.

According to one embodiment of the invention, there is provided athree-dimensional elongated marking referred to as an indicium. Suchmarker indicia provide a much needed, additional visual cue for thehuman brain to effectively recognize the pavement edge or otherboundary. While the above description contains much specificity, theseshould not be construed as limitations on the scope of any embodiment,but as exemplifications of the presently preferred embodiments thereof.Many other ramifications and variations are possible within theforegoing teachings. For example, the pivot point about the y-axis inthe first embodiment may be located at the base of its vertical spar.Alternatively, each indicium may contain a coupling that would allow forfull axial rotation for maintenance and/or servicing. Also, it should beunderstood that the size, shape and illumination method for any suchindicium can take on countless forms to best represent an airport'srunway or taxiway boundary. They may assume an elongated, pentagonalshape, be coated with reflective paints and/or illuminated from anexternal source. Such indicia can be left open at one or both endsand/or attached to objects other than a traditional L-867 base. Stillfurther, the indicium of this invention may be designed for at leastsome partial embedding into the ground. Thus the scope of the inventionshould be determined by the appended claims and their legal equivalents,and not by the examples given hereinabove.

What is claimed is:
 1. A boundary/edge marker for on ground traffic atan airport, said marker comprising: (a) an elongated tube that extendssubstantially horizontal to a ground surface and substantially parallelwith a runway or taxiway boundary or edge, said elongated tube havingone of: (i) a plurality of closely spaced apertures to form a row oflighted apertures; and (ii) an elongated slit through which a line oflight will be emitted; (b) at least one structural support forconnecting the elongated tube to a permanent surface; (c) a poweredlight source in or immediately adjacent to the elongated tube; and (d)at least one light-focusing lens at an end of the elongated tube.
 2. Theairport boundary/edge marker of claim 1 wherein the tube has multiplerows of lighted apertures or elongated slits.
 3. The airportboundary/edge marker of claim 1 wherein the light source includes aplurality of LED lights inside the elongated tube.
 4. The airportboundary/edge marker of claim 1 wherein said structural support extendssubstantially vertical.
 5. The airport boundary/edge marker of claim 1wherein said structural support extends substantially perpendicular tothe elongated tube.
 6. The airport boundary/edge marker of claim 1wherein each structural support includes a spring-mounted component. 7.The airport boundary/edge marker of claim 1, which includes two or moretube structural supports located at or near each tube end.
 8. Theairport boundary/edge marker of claim 1, which further includes birdroost prevention means.
 9. The airport boundary/edge marker of claim 1wherein said tube is at least about 6 inches long.
 10. The airportboundary/edge marker of claim 1 wherein said tube includes at least oneangled or curved section.
 11. The airport boundary/edge marker of claim1, which further includes means for indicating, visually and/or by audiosignal, when the marker has become misaligned.
 12. The airportboundary/edge marker of claim 1, which further includes means forpreventing ice or snow buildup on the elongated tube.
 13. The airportboundary/edge marker of claim 1, which includes a visual indicator for acurve or corner section of the runway or taxiway.
 14. A boundary/edgemarker for an airport runway or taxiway, said marker comprising: (a) anelongated tube that extends substantially horizontal to a ground surfaceand substantially parallel with a runway or taxiway boundary or edge,said elongated tube having: (i) an elongated opening through which aline of light will be emitted; and (b) a light-focusing lens at each endof said elongated tube; (c) at least one structural support extendingupwardly from the ground surface to the elongated tube; and (d) apowered light source in or immediately adjacent to the elongated tube ator near the light-focusing lens end of said elongated tube.
 15. Therunway or taxiway boundary/edge marker of claim 14 wherein the tube hasmultiple elongated openings.
 16. The runway or taxiway boundary/edgemarker of claim 14, which further includes at least one of: a defrosterand a heating element.
 17. A boundary/edge marker for vehicular traffic,said marker comprising: (a) a substantially horizontal extendingelongated tube having at least one of: (i) an elongated slit throughwhich a line of light will be emitted for visually indicating a boundaryor edge; and (ii) a light-focusing lens at each tube end; (b) at leastone structural support for attaching the elongated tube to a permanentsurface; (c) a powered light source in or immediately adjacent theelongated tube; and (d) at least one of: a defroster and a heatingelement.
 18. The boundary/edge marker of claim 17, which is suitable foruse as a highway, bridge, tunnel, canal or nautical indicator.